Highly Efficient Epoxidation of Alkenes with Sodium Periodate Catalyzed by Reusable Polystyrene-Bound Ruthenium(III) Salophen

In this paper, highly efficient epoxidation of alkenes catalyzed by ruthenium(III) salophen chloride, [Ru(salophen)Cl], supported on functionalized chloromethylated polystyrene, PS, is reported. The PS was modified with 1,4-diaminobenzene, 4-aminophenol and 4-aminothiophenol, and [Ru(salophen)Cl] was attached to the supports via axial ligation. The prepared catalysts were used for efficient epoxidation of alkenes with NaIO4 at room temperature. These new heterogenized catalysts were characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The heterogeneous catalysts were reusable in the oxidation reactions and were reused several times.